Our Last Night
by Selphie Kinneas 175
Summary: SS. One-shot. When a sickly hero is called to fight in a battle that he knows he cannot win, he spends his last night with the woman he had devoted his life to.


**A/N: Hello, readers! **This one-shot was inspired by the song in which the lyrics are from (Maroon 5's _Daylight_); I heard the song and this story idea popped in my head pretty much instantly. It's pretty tragic, but that's what I write best, I suppose. _Italic lines_ are song lyrics. Enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Legend of Zelda, nor do I own the song referenced to.

* * *

**Our Last Night**

_By: Selphie Kinneas 175_

**.:.**

When the people of the heavens had returned to live once more on the surface, all seemed well for quite some time.

The inhabitants of Skyloft were excited to explore the unknown and the land below proved to be bountiful. They began building homes soon after their arrival and they were very happy to be living on the land of Hylia; the land on which they were meant to live.

Link and Zelda had stepped into leadership roles naturally and without any sort of debate on the subject – everyone knew that they were perfectly fit to lead the people and no one had any complaints on the matter. The Goddess had kept a watchful eye on the people's wellbeing as well as that of her land, seeing to it that no unnecessary resources were sacrificed. The hero had taken to overseeing construction as well as the protection of their growing settlement.

The two friends that had stumbled into a greater destiny than they could have ever imagined together had quickly discovered that their relationship was far more than purely platonic. Soon after the move to the surface world, Link had asked for Zelda's hand in marriage and she had eagerly accepted. Their wedding was grand and beautiful, and they didn't waste any time in starting their lives together.

_I never wanted to stop because I don't want to start all over._

Link built their home with his own two hands and they discussed the idea of having children practically every night. They decided they weren't ready just yet, but that they definitely did want to be parents at one point in the future.

Eventually, the whole of the small village mutually decided that it would be in their best interest to begin expanding their growing community. Upon agreement, Link, along with Pipit and Groose, ventured deep within Faron Woods in search of a suitable area to build on. Finding a patch of land that would not upset the water dragon, Faron, was a task all in itself. They had to travel deeper into the woods than Link had ever gone on his journey to rescue Zelda, and they encountered all manner of beasts in the untamed wild.

Amongst the foreign trees and the dark underbrush, an ancient civilization was awoken. The three men weren't sure at first what they had discovered, but as they peeked through the foliage at a massive encampment of Bokoblins along with other ferocious monsters that even the hero did not recognize, they knew that their peaceful lives on the surface were now at risk.

_Why am I holding on?_

They returned to their town with haste, alerting everyone of the discovery they had made. The whole of the small village was in a panic, looking to their leaders for answers. Link had told them simply that they would meet the demons in battle should the foul creatures decide to attack them, and at first, everyone was in agreement.

The following day, the three friends that had trekked into the forest had all become terribly sick. They weren't sure if it was a simple cold caught from unnatural pollen in the wilds, a reaction to an insect or snake bite, or something else entirely. Professor Owlan hadn't been of much help at first, but after a bit of exploring and researching, he deduced that it was a sickness caught from the plants that grow in the deepest forests of Faron.

The day in which the professor was attempting to find a cure, he came down with the same illness and was bedridden just the same as the other three were.

Nearly a week after that, Karane had been flying her Loftwing just above the treetops in an attempt to continue the search the three men had started - only from a safer viewpoint. What she saw as she was flying overhead, however, was terrifying. She witnessed the fiends that Link and the others had mentioned seeing before now marching through the forest towards their village in mass amounts. Their numbers were so great that the young woman couldn't even see the entire horde in a single eyeshot.

_We knew this day would come._

Karane urged her bird back as fast as it could fly, warning Link of her discovery. She considered their current distance and the speed in which they were travelling and was able to calculate that the beasts' arrival on their doorstep would be around dawn the following morning. Link knew they had to fight – they had no choice.

He gathered his neighbors together and told them of his plan. His first suggestion was that he would stay and fight alone, allowing everyone else to return safely to the sky, but his friends and loved ones wouldn't stand for that. Pipit, Groose, and several of the other academy students declared that they would stand and fight with their hero. He agreed reluctantly, and there was much arguing, but it was eventually decided that only those that were trained and willing to fight would do so while the rest would find safety on Skyloft.

_We knew it all along._

There were some that didn't like the proposition for many different reasons. Most didn't want to leave their loved ones to fight alone, knowing that the better half of the able fighters were tragically ill and most likely did not stand a chance of survival. The rest thought that their new life on the surface should simply be abandoned, allowing everyone to keep their lives, but Link couldn't do that. He had gone through such a trying journey to bring the land of Hylia back to her children; there was no way he was going to forfeit it back into the hands of evil without a fight.

Zelda had put up the biggest fight of them all. The most intense argument they had yet to have ensued, and the Goddess reborn was stubborn in her position that Link shouldn't have to fight while he was sick. She wanted to help him as well as her fellow Skyloftians in battle, but she and Link both knew that she hadn't yet been trained to fight, and her powers as Goddess were no longer within her. The yelling had died down to sobbing as she eventually came to the understanding that she would not be able to help in this battle.

She wept into her husband's shoulder as she realized just how completely helpless they all were.

Dusk arrived that night quicker than anyone had wanted, signifying that it was time to retreat indoors for the evening. Zelda tended to Link as he lay in bed with a high fever, but he did not fall asleep. When the later hours of night rolled in, Zelda curled up beside her sickly hero and dozed off after a bit of coaxing.

Time slowed down as he turned over and looked at the form of his sleeping wife. Her skin was porcelain, soft and pale like that of a doll. She looked tranquil and at peace as he draped his top arm over her, pulling her small frame in a bit closer to him.

_Here I am staring at your perfection in my arms… so beautiful._

As he lay there, he couldn't help but think of just how much he treasured times like these. Even though she wasn't awake, it was simply her presence that gave him such bliss. He loved this girl like he never knew love could be. He loved her more than life itself, and that was why he would gladly put his life on the line to ensure that she was safe.

_Tonight I'm gonna hold you so close._

A battle awaited him when the sun peaked over the tops of the trees, and he was beginning to realize that it was one that he could not win. Were he and the rest of the academy knights in top shape he was sure that they could bring an end to the flocks of evil that were marching on them. With nearly all of them at war within themselves over an illness that no one was even aware existed, however, he was beginning to realize that it wouldn't end with them the victor.

_I was afraid of the dark but now it's all that I want._

He came to terms with the fact that this would be the last night he would get to hold Zelda in his arms. He smiled as he thought of how much fun they had had as children, running around Skyloft without a care in the world. He could remember finding her beautiful even as a young boy and his love had grown more and more for her with every passing day.

_This is our last night, but it's late._

An involuntary yawn escaped his lips; he was tired, but he would not spend the last night he had with his love sleeping. He wanted to remember how beautiful her face looked in the moonlight shining through the window when he met the beasts on the battlefield – perhaps it would give him a fighting chance.

_And I'm trying not to sleep._

His fever had only worsened in the last few days. He had incessant chills, and he was constantly feeling cold, and yet his body temperature was well into the hundreds. He shivered as he wrapped his arms tighter around Zelda's petite form. Link couldn't take his eyes off of her. He never wanted to imagine being without her and he hated thinking about leaving her by herself, but he took solace in knowing that she would at least be alive and well.

_In the daylight we'll be on our own._

He closed his eyes for only a second, a smile gracing his chapped lips as he pictured how beautiful Zelda looked the day of the Wing Ceremony. Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight on the top of the Goddess Statue right before she had shoved him off. He chuckled silently, resulting in an itch in his throat that he could only scratch with a harsh cough.

He opened his eyes to look at her once again; he couldn't believe how unbelievable gorgeous she was. It was clear that she was not entirely of this world – she was simply too perfect to be. The fact that she had given herself to him boggled his mind every day, but he was never one to argue with a good thing.

_When the daylight comes I'll have to go._

When he looked through the far window at Zelda's back, he noticed that the dark blue color of the sky was beginning to lighten and he could no longer spot the various constellations that littered it. He blinked a few times and shook his head, hoping to wake himself up as he certainly _had_ to be dreaming. To his dismay, it wasn't a dream – morning was already almost upon them.

_The sky is getting bright, the stars are burning out._

With an aching sigh, he sat up as slowly and gently as he could so as to not disturb the sleeping form beside him. The movement caused slight pain in his chest as he breathed, a deep rattling sound forming in his lungs when he took in air. He carefully lifted the blanket off of him and set it aside. Even though he was sweating, the air chilled him to the bone, and he uncontrollably began shivering as his bare chest was exposed to the cool air of the night. His loose, tan britches covered his bottom half well, but his fever kept him feeling drastically colder than it actually was.

He placed his feet down on the chilled wooden floor and let out a long breath. He ran his hands down his face, desperately trying to wake himself up and shake himself of this nagging sickness. He had hoped he would be stronger than it, but it was consuming him more and more with each passing hour.

_This is way too hard…_

He stood with a wince as he made his way over to his things that Zelda had folded neatly and placed on their wooden dresser. He couldn't help but smile, noticing that her scent had made its way onto his white collared undershirt as he slipped it on. He inhaled it as deeply as he could; her smell was one that he had always adored – it was like chamomile and lavender.

He turned and looked out the window again, checking to see how much longer he had as he tugged on his heavy chainmail. The sky was getting brighter and brighter… why did time have to pass so quickly?

_Somebody slow it down._

He pulled on his green tunic that he had become so comfortable in over the past year and fastened the belt around his waist. He attached the leather belts that held his scabbard in place and adjusted his gloves just before slipping on his boots.

As he was situating his shield onto his back, his mind began running rampant. This was it, he thought, this was it…

_I'll have to leave soon._

He sat on the edge of the bed, fully geared up and ready to go. He couldn't focus, he couldn't think straight. How would Zelda remember him after this? Would she carry a resentment for him throughout the rest of her long life? She had regretfully told him she understood why he had to do it, even though she hated it. He hoped she meant it; he hoped she _truly_ understood.

He didn't want to do it. He wanted to live a long, happy life with the woman of his dreams. He wanted to have children with her and spend each and every day discovering new ways of showing her just how much she meant to him. He quickly wiped the tear away that was trying to escape his lashes as he came to terms with the fact that he would never be able to do any of those things.

_This is my last glance that will soon be memory._

He turned around from his seat on the soft cot, looking again at his beautiful wife. Realizing that this was the last time he would ever hold her in his arms, he gently lay back down beside her, not even caring that his shield was cutting into his back and his chainmail was digging into his skin. He wrapped his arm around her and held her for as long as the rising sun would allow.

_I will have to slip away…_

He closed his eyes, taking in her scent and relishing in her soothing presence. He cupped her cheek in his palm, staring at her closed lids as he rubbed his thumb along her silky smooth skin. If he could have had anything right at that very moment, all he would have asked for was to see her stunning sapphire eyes just one last time. He didn't want to wake her, though; he wanted to save her the heartbreaking goodbye – he knew it would only make it that much more difficult.

_I need to hold you so close._

The sun was beginning to peak over the tall treetops in the distance, and Link knew it was time for him to leave. With a tear, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the forehead before carefully lifting his heavy body out of the bed. She stirred a bit, but remained asleep. He noticed a small smile grace her thin lips and he couldn't help but reciprocate the gesture, even though she couldn't see it.

He grabbed his green cap and made his way toward the exit with much reluctance. He stood before the door for a good long minute before turning towards his love one final time. It was best that he leave this way, he reassured himself; her father would come in and get her soon, and they would then take to the skies once again where they would be safe.

_This is our last night._

She would be safe… She would live… She would be alright…

He knew she would be okay, and that was what made it all worthwhile. He would meet these foul beasts in battle and give it everything he had in him; nothing could stop him from protecting his Goddess, his love, his _Zelda_.

With that, he took one final glimpse and forced himself out the door before the weaker side of him could take over and tell him to give in.

_This is my last glance that will soon be memory._

Link joined with his fellow knights and friends and they headed toward the outskirts of their small village to meet the demons on their doorstep. They fought bravely, and they lasted quite some time despite their deteriorating conditions. The monsters outnumbered them at least ten times and they were starting to get overpowered. The hero yelled for those that were fleeing to the clouds to do so, as the village was quickly being overrun.

The surface world illness had been the very fabric of the undoing of Hylia's warriors. The men inflicted with the sickness had already been so drained and weakened before even reaching the skirmish, but they held up well.

Link watched in horror as his comrades fell in battle like dominoes, one after the other in horrifying succession. It took a while as the Skyloft Knights fought to the bitter end, but he was eventually the last one standing. He tried to keep it from discouraging him, though, as he was determined to stay on his feet until every last fiend was vanquished.

_We knew this day would come._

He was surrounded, taking hit after hit and spilling far too much blood onto the grass at his feet. When he was struck with a deep cut spanning the length of his left shoulder down to his right hip, he knew he had met his end.

He collapsed to his knees as his world spun. In a few brief seconds, everything went numb and he looked around at his fallen friends lying lifeless all around him. His head fell back as he gazed up at the sky. In the distance he could see the rainbow of colorful Loftwings heading up towards the cloud barrier. He could have sworn he saw Zelda, not on her own bird, but riding beside her father on his mount as he likely had to force her to leave. He squinted, trying to focus on her hand reaching out to him and her faint voice on the air.

Was he hallucinating?

He had no idea.

Was he dying?

Yes, he realized. But at least he got to see her one last time…

_In the daylight we'll be on our own._

When he closed his eyes, he saw at once everything he had loved in life. He saw his Loftwing, he saw the floating islands he called home, but more than anything he saw Zelda.

He saw them playing together as children, splashing in the river in Skyloft. He saw them in the Knight Academy together, her nudging him awake as he dozed off in class. He saw her in her pink dress on the day of the Wing Ceremony. He saw her atop her deep cobalt bird as she flew alongside him, the day he was sure she was going to confess her love to him only to have her whisked away. He saw her on the surface in the gown she wore once she discovered she was the Goddess reborn. He saw her serene, calm face as she lay sleeping within the amber crystal that housed her for an eternity. He saw her stumble once she woke up, and he felt the warmth of her body as he held her close at the bottom of the stairs. He saw her tears of joy upon completion of their journey. He saw her in her wedding gown on the day of their marriage, her wide grin rivaling that of any he had ever seen on her before.

Zelda was his life, his love, his everything; he was glad to know that she was safe.

_Here I am staring at your perfection…_

He smiled as her image filled his mind's eye, and he no longer felt pain. Behind closed lids, he saw her reach out to him…

"It doesn't hurt anymore, Zelda," he whispered.

_So beautiful…_

He grasped her hand and walked into the light of the Goddess, content in knowing that he had protected her in life and that they would meet again one day.

She would always be his Zelda, and he would always be her hero - even in death.

* * *

**_End._**


End file.
